24 September 1998 Edition
Compo fury ignores facts
by Sean O'Tuama
The angry Unionist protests over the £76,000 paid in compensation to H Block prisoners ignored certain facts surrounding the case.
The compensation was paid to prisoners whose property was destroyed or stolen during raids on their cells after the attempted break out from Long Kesh last March. Most of the 250 prisoners compensated were in H5; the escape tunnel was found in H7.
The prisoners in H5 had their personal possessions wilfully vandalised and ruined, they were cut off from the outside world when the prison authorities cancelled all visits, cut off telephone access and suspended all parole. This included compassionate parole for Martin Bullock who was prevented from attending his brother's funeral.
Twelve men from H5 were forcibly removed to the punishment block with one prisoner, Eugene McKee, being injured in the process.
Prisoners in H7 were attacked by a riot squad, strip-searched, handcuffed and moved to another block.
Unionist politicians have compared compensation to prisoners to that paid to the relatives and victims of republican operations.
A more accurate comparison is between the compensation given to victims of British state violence, and that includes the prisoners, and the handouts to the crown forces' victims and their families.
In the last thirty years, victims of the British state have received a mere two to three hundred thousand pounds. In the last twelve months RUC victims and their families alone have been paid out more than £5m. And that is in addition to the compensation they had already received.
Many British state victims have not received justice let alone compensation for their loss. They have had their feelings consistently ignored and their campaign for truth marginalised.
The angry Unionist protests over the £76,000 paid in compensation to H Block prisoners ignored certain facts surrounding the case.
The compensation was paid to prisoners whose property was destroyed or stolen during raids on their cells after the attempted break out from Long Kesh last March. Most of the 250 prisoners compensated were in H5; the escape tunnel was found in H7.
The prisoners in H5 had their personal possessions wilfully vandalised and ruined, they were cut off from the outside world when the prison authorities cancelled all visits, cut off telephone access and suspended all parole. This included compassionate parole for Martin Bullock who was prevented from attending his brother's funeral.
Twelve men from H5 were forcibly removed to the punishment block with one prisoner, Eugene McKee, being injured in the process.
Prisoners in H7 were attacked by a riot squad, strip-searched, handcuffed and moved to another block.
Unionist politicians have compared compensation to prisoners to that paid to the relatives and victims of republican operations.
A more accurate comparison is between the compensation given to victims of British state violence, and that includes the prisoners, and the handouts to the crown forces' victims and their families.
In the last thirty years, victims of the British state have received a mere two to three hundred thousand pounds. In the last twelve months RUC victims and their families alone have been paid out more than £5m. And that is in addition to the compensation they had already received.
Many British state victims have not received justice let alone compensation for their loss. They have had their feelings consistently ignored and their campaign for truth marginalised.